Just in case you are in the dark about zeppoles, they are magical and you must make them immediately if you have access to a deep fryer, which was one of my birthday gifts from Ryan this year! (Healthy living blogger, what?)
I’m sure you can find great recipes online with a quick Google search, but we’re going to try our hand at making them using our friend Pete’s recipe this evening. Assuming all goes well, I’ll report back and share the details soon because Pete’s zeppoles are in my top five favorite foods EVER. It’s zeppoles over cake for the birthday girl this year!
And now, because my mind is all over the place today, I’m rollin’ with it and embracing the randomness with a “Birthday Randomness” themed post. Heeere we go!
Random Thoughts On A Wednesday
- Chase Has TWO Teeth… And I Had No Idea
Sooo Chase has two teeth! And I had NO idea. Talk about a major Mom Fail. Early last week, I noticed Chase seemed to be drooling quite a bit. Since he’s never been a drooler, I figured that the excessive drooling coupled with some other odd behavior (skipping afternoon naps and an unusual amount of fussiness/desire to be held all the time) might mean he was teething. I kept checking his lower gums and didn’t see anything but then on Saturday, my mom said, “Julie! Did you know Chase has two teeth!?” I was totally shocked! I completely missed my baby’s first teeth!
Chase’s upper lateral incisors already broke through his gums and I totally missed it because I was so darn adamant about checking his lower gums since that seems to be where appear first for many babies. Note to other first-time mamas: Be sure to check your baby’s upper gums if you think they might be teething!
- Yesterday’s At Home Workout
Yesterday’s at home workout was a good one, so I wanted to share it with you guys! I began with the quick 20-minute treadmill run/incline walking workout featured above and followed it up with Tone It Up’s HIITy Bitty HIIT Workout. My friend Julie shared the HIIT workout on her personal Facebook page on Monday and I immediately saved it since it sounded awesome. I loved the combination of high-intensity cardio with total-body strength exercises and thought it passed by in a flash.
- My Breastfeeding Hunger Is Raging
One thing I didn’t really anticipate regarding breastfeeding was how my body would respond to my baby’s growth spurts. When Chase eats more, I eat more. When he’s hungrier than usual, I become ravenous. It’s totally different for me than pregnancy hunger, too, which is kind of crazy. When I was pregnant, I was hungry all the time, but for me eating was what helped prevent nausea. If I ever went too long without eating when I was pregnant, I would feel nauseated, so snacks happened all day every day.
Breastfeeding hunger during a growth spurt loosely reminds me of half marathon training hunger. It’s almost like my appetite is insatiable and I find myself needing to snack constantly to keep hunger pangs at bay. Gimme ALL the food ALL the time! I’ve honestly found myself polishing off the next day’s overnight oats breakfast I have prepped in the fridge a number of times after dinner because I just need to eat! Give the body what it wants, right?
- Thinking About A First Birthday Party
Truth be told, I didn’t really think I wanted to plan a first birthday party for Chase. I figured he won’t remember his first birthday anyway and we don’t have family living close by to celebrate with (and let’s be honest, they’re the ones who care most about a baby’s first birthday), but after my mom and sister seemed really excited about the idea of coming in town for a small celebration for Chase, I started to let my mind wander a little too much and now I’m way too psyched for a low key first birthday party celebration.
I still want to keep it very intimate but I am never one to shy away from planning a fun themed party and already have a theme in mind. I waffled back and forth between Dinosaurs (because we call Chase our pterodactyl dino-baby due to his crazy noises) or a “You Are My Sunshine” themed party since that’s the song I sing to him regularly (and I can often barely make it through without tears filling my eyes).
After coming up with the sunshine theme, I was all proud of myself for thinking of what I thought was a unique party theme, but after a quick Google and Pinterest search, of course I found that it’s been done a bunch of times before. Even still, I think that’s the way we’re going to go because I know that future birthday parties for Chase will likely be overrun with dinosaurs and other things of that sort, so the year I’m in control, we’re going with a sappy You Are My Sunshine theme since that song makes this mama cry and reminds me of some of my favorite moments with my little guy. Plus, it seems appropriate for a summertime party theme!
And yes, Chase is not even nine months old yet and I’m already thinking about his birthday party. Crazy lady.
Question of the Day
- What is the most creative theme you’ve seen for a child’s birthday party?
- For the parents: Did you throw a party for your little one’s first birthday? Did it have a theme?
I think the lumberjack themed party my friend Leah threw for her son last month was so cute! We loved all the plaid and woodland creatures!
P.S. I have no idea what’s going on with the in-text hyperlinked ad words on the blog right now but I’m doing my best to get them removed ASAP. They’re annoying the heck out of me, so believe me I am ON it! Thanks for your patience in the meantime!
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Happy Birthday!!! Have a great day!
Happy Birthday, Julie! Enjoy your low-key night with your family!! 🙂 And I’m glad you’re having a birthday party for Chase!
Happy birthday! I love the Sunshine idea. That was my grandmothers song to us. Definitely a sweet yet teary song. How did you like the Tone it Up? I just started some of their workouts when i cant make it out to a class and I love them!
I haven’t done a ton of their workouts, but I really liked that one! There’s a picture version and a video which is also kind of cool! I followed the video since I did it at home, but I like the option of bringing a print out to the gym (or taking a screenshot on your phone), too!
Happy Birthday! I hope it is a great one! I just wanted to say – have a first birthday party. Yes, he won’t remember it, but it is a huge milestone and it is something to celebrate! A theme is fun, but you don’t need bells and whistles. We had a carnival theme for my firstborn – games for the kids and rented a cotton candy machine. It was great fun for the guests and my son loves looking at the pictures. And for my younger son, we just had a pizza party. We ordered a ton of pizza and had some games for the kids. Again, it was fun and easy. I thoroughly enjoyed celebrating their first birthdays and am so glad we did. I know that kids’ parties are kind of out of control these days, but it doesn’t have to be over the top to be a great memory.
Happy birthday, Julie! I hope you’re having a wonderful day! I can’t wait to see your hair after it’s done! 🙂 Thanks for all you share on the blog; it’s still one of my favorites after all these years; such a happy and positive space!
Thank you so much, Marie. This comment made me smile!
Natural to be thinking about it seen as it’s your birthday! 🙂 Happy Birthday missus!
Happy Birthday!! I threw a party for my daughter when she turned one and it was so much fun! They may not remember it but you will and she loved playing with the other kids and eating her cake. I love looking at the pictures too. 🙂
Happy birthday Julie!
Happy Birhday Julie!!! Hope you have a wonderful day 🙂
Happy Birthday! We didn’t go too crazy for our daughter’s first birthday because we figured at that point in her life a party was more to celebrate us making it through the first year. 🙂 So I made a cake, one for the rest of us, and a small two-tiered one for her, and we invited friends to a local family-friendly bar… It was a very low-key celebration, the kids could run around outside and play while the adults got to sit at the picnic tables, relax, and have some beer and food! For her second birthday we just did a simple cook out at the beach. We’re trying not to set the precedent for huge, expensive parties for her because I feel like that misses the point for us and I definitely don’t want to be stressed out about planning what should be a happy event! Plus I’m fully aware it’s only going to get crazier as she gets older and wants to invite more friends, etc.
Happy Birthday! Zeppoles sound amazing! YUM.
Happy birthday Julie! Zeppoles sound like the perfect treat! I often have non-traditional birthday treats on my day – basically whatever I’m in the mood for! Chase is adorable, and I love the sunshine birthday theme. Kids remember more than we’re aware of – I’m a few decades past my own first birthday, but I still remember it! Hope you have a great day!
We have the same birthday! Happy Birthday to us! Cheers 🙂
Happy Birthday, Meg!
Julie,
Happy birthday! I am new at reading your blogs but I absolutely love them!
Have a wonderful birthday!
So glad you found me! And thank you for the birthday wishes!!
Happy happy birthday!!!!
Breastfeeding hunger rage is REAL! Lord have mercy I have eating NONSTOP!!!
That is hilarious about his teeth!! I need to check Adeline’s top gums now that you mention it!
Happy b-day Julie! Hope you have a great day!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JULIE! Thank you for your work on your blog. You do a great job. Have a fabulous day!
Happy Birthday Julie! Don’t neglect the cravings and I wish you the best time for you and your beautiful family!
Happy birthday!!!
Chases theme sounds cute!
My oldest son had a beach themed party (and right after his party we went to the beach for a vacation)
My youngest son had a Mickey Mouse themed party. They were both fun.
My daughter will be two months old soon and I have already been thinking about what I want to do. I might throw a ballerina themed party
Even though they won’t remember the party I think it’s a great way to celebrate their first year of life. Lots of milestones for parents and baby! 🙂
Happy Birthday. Enjoy your day! xo Lauren
Happy happy birthday! From one mama to another I hope you get a shower, a hot cup of coffee and maybe even a nap on your special day! Oh man I hear you on the birthday thing, my son will be one in July and I am with you on them not really understanding or remembering but then I know my MIL will want to celebrate then I get excited and try not to be and who am I kidding, it’s more to celebrate us surviving the first year! lol
I think I’ll have to check Sully’s top gums I’m always looking at the bottom and I swear he’s been teething since he was 3 months! Way to go Chase!
Happy birthday!! Hope it’s been a great one for you 🙂
My youngest has picked a few unique ideas for her birthdays along the way. For her fourth birthday, she wanted a Christmas theme. In March. The cake decorator thought I was nuts. I had to custom order her invites online. It was pretty fun though! All of the guests wrapped her gifts in Christmas paper and we sang Christmas carols.
Happy birthday! Hope you had a wonderful day! 🙂
Happy Birthday, Julie! Hope you had a lovely day! 🙂
Happy birthday, Julie!!
I missed my older girl’s first tooth too. It’s pretty normal I’m sure! Now with my 2nd though, I found the two (bottom) teeth right away when she started being unusually fussy. I totally would’ve missed the TOP teeth though, that’s crazy those were his first!!
Happy birthday Julie! God bless you and your family. 🙂
Happy birthday, Julie! Sounds like you guys are going to have the best celebration 🙂
Happy birthday!! Enjoy the party planning, the longer you have to plan, the more time to have fun with it!!
Happy birthday Julie!!! I love your idea for Chase’s birthday 🙂 I watch this family on YouTube- Cullen and Katie and they threw their daughter a “you are my sunshine party”. The mom has her own channel and talked about some of the themed decorations if you want to check it out- her channel is called “Katie on the flip side”
Happy birthday!
My son is 9 1/2 months and I’ve already designed his invitation, lol! I’m doing a Wild One birthday theme based on being wild in nature (mountains, trees, some arrows). Most stuff I googled was tribal but I’m trying to alter away from that a bit. For my first we had a Little Man party with rustic decor and mustaches. I’ve travelled back to my home state for a small parties with family and close friends as a way to say, come say hi while we are in town, and we will do the same for this first birthday.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY (yesterday)!!!! Semi-Sweet Tooth site design is now up and running, so I’m catching up with everyone, ha. I hope it was amazing. 🙂
Uuuummm.. Chase is looking like a little man! Look at his hair; so sweet. <3
True mom: A post on YOUR birthday being overrun with discussion about your baby’s birthday in 3 MONTHS! haha 🙂
Happy Birthday!!
Artikkel Veldig bra ! Det er den type informasjon som er ment å bli delt gjennom. Skam på søkemotorene for nå ikke å posisjonere dette innlegget høyere!
Kom over og diskutere med min side . Takk = ) Min blogg om dette temaet http://helsen.top/tag/forstuet-finger-vrt/
Happy belated birthday! I was off celebrating my birthday as well yesterday. 🙂 I hope it was a great one!
Happy belated Birthday! I hope you had a fantastic time ?
After my daughter didn’t get teeth (the typical bottom ones) until almost 11 months, I was surprised when my son got upper teeth at 7 months – and no, they weren’t the normal top ones, they were the 2 on either side. It was October and he definitely looked like our little pumpkin.
We did do 1st birthday parties for both kids, but then didn’t have another true birthday party until 4 years old. My daughter is an August baby so we did a Hawaiian Monkey theme, and my son is a St Patrick’s Day baby, so that one was easy (and fun –mainly for all the alcohol drinking adults!). I agree – save the dinosaur and typical boy themes for when they are older. We did farm animals for 2 (so much fun making cupcakes), Thomas the Train for 3, Batman for 4, Avengers for 5 and Despicable Me for 6. I wanted to do Dinosaurs one year but he wanted superheroes. So sad when they can make the decisions 🙁
I totally agree with the breastfeeding hunger! I really wasn’t that hungry and didn’t have all the craving during pregnancy so it caught me off guard. I feel like I eat all the time and I still loose weight. I feel like I’m truly ‘eating for two’ now! lol